1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to medical ultrasound imaging and, more particularly, to a method and a device for needle visualization.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since an ultrasound imaging device can provide clear images of human blood vessels and blood flow and is particularly useful as a positioning and aiding tool in procedures such as cardiac invasive therapy, the device enables a physician to discern a lesion site of a patient and each progress of the procedure and is thus crucial to the success of operations.
For procedures demanding invasion into nerves and blood vessels, needle probing and visualization of real-time and high-quality needle images are paramount. Therefore, there exists a need for an ultrasound imaging device to display images of a travelling needle in a real time and high quality fashion.
Existing needle visualization techniques for the ultrasound imaging system mainly include B steer, SteerXBeam, Expanded SteerXBeam and the like. Examples of such needle visualization techniques: provide an ultrasound transducer in a needle; include the use of a Doppler method; include techniques for modifying needles to enhance acoustic reflection; provide an electro-magnetic device attached to the needle tip; include techniques that reveal image analysis based on amplitude information; include techniques for the adjustment of scan angles; and include a scan technique of needle visualization.
Existing techniques typically add an additional frame for detecting the needle (hereinafter referred to as a needle frame) to human tissue frames (hereinafter referred to as tissue frames). For example, display of every five tissue frames is followed by display of one needle frame. Although said techniques can present needle images in ultrasound images, there is a delay in the display of needle images. In other words, after an operation of the needle, the physician has to wait for a period of time until a current location of the needle in the human body is displayed in the ultrasound images.